More on Saint Adalbert’s via Marty Biniasz

Announcements made during Sunday masses regarding closure and consolidation of Eastside Churches included news on the City of Buffalo’s only Basilica. St. Adalbert’s Basilica will merge with St. John Kanty’s with the architecturally significant Basilica to be closed. Adalbert’s is one of Polonia’s “Big 3” landmark parishes that include St. Stanislaus and Corpus Christi Church. At this time, St. Stans and Christi will stay as stand alone parishes with a review of St. Stans to take place in two years.
 
Historical Background:
 
Located in Buffalo’s Historic Polonia District, St. Adalbert’s was established to cater specifically to the growing Polish population. One of the city’s most impressive houses of worship, the parish was founded in 1886 with the current structure built with Romanesque & Byzantine influences completed in 1891. The brick structure is 240 feet high, 118 feet wide with a nave of 70 feet. Its two towers are 150 feet high with a dome 40 feet wide and soaring 125 feet above the main nave. At that time it was the largest church in Western New York and cost $63,000 without the furnishings. The church features interior painting by famed ecclesiastic artist Jozef Mazur. The school and convent were built in 1905 at a cost of $90,000. At its peak, the school educated over 1,000 students. A rare and special designation bestowed on the parish occurred in 1907, when the Vatican proclaimed St. Adalbert a basilica, the first in the USA. The current pastor, Tadeusz Bocianowski, is a native of Poland.